By CLARE NAYEBARE
Stakeholders from the Rwenzori region have partnered with NGO’S of Action for Women Foundation (AWF) and Rwenzori Forum for peace and Justice (RFPJ) to discuss issues of gender based violence related in Rwenzori region.
In a recent two day workshop funded by UN women under Women’s peace and Humanitarian Fund held at Lisuex hotel, Leaders of the above NGO’s were able to identify the upsurge in Gender based violence especially against women of Rwenzori region in the covid-19 era.
Male gender especially the youth were highlighted in the same workshop at the epicenter of propagating this Vice in communities.
The Women right activists, police, Religious and cultural leaders who attended, committed themselves to raise awareness, Improve inter-Spousal Communication, act exemplary for their children and report all cases of GBV as a way of kicking the vice out of Rwenzori.
They also appealed the public to identify, involve stakeholders & police to make an ND popularize laws and policies that seek to eliminate violence against women and girls in the community.
According to the statistics got from Fort portal police, a total of about 1110 cases in a period of only 11 months (From January to November 2021), with 657 Domestic violence cases recorded highest. Other GBV cases include 172 of Child neglect, 34 of child desertion, 42 of missing children, 44 of Forcefully taking children, 26 of denial of access to children, 6 of abandoned children 17 of child torture and 10 of disputed paternity.
